Parshas Shemini - Half and Half: You Are What You Eat

Parshas Shemini

Half and Half: You Are What You Eat

By: Daniel Listhaus

כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי וְלֹא תְטַמְּאוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם בְּכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל הָאָרֶץ: כִּי אֲנִי ה' הַמַּעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹקים וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי: זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַבְּהֵמָה וְהָעוֹף וְכֹל נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת בַּמָּיִם וּלְכָל נֶפֶשׁ הַשֹּׁרֶצֶת עַל הָאָרֶץ: לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַטָּמֵא וּבֵין הַטָּהֹר וּבֵין הַחַיָּה הַנֶּאֱכֶלֶת וּבֵין הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵאָכֵל

“For I am Hashem your G-d – you are to sanctify yourselves and you shall become holy, for I am holy; and you shall not make your souls impure through any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am Hashem Who brings you up from the land of Egypt to be a G-d unto you; you shall be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the animal, the bird, every living creature that swarms in the water, and for every creature that creeps on the ground; For distinguishing between the impure and the pure, and between the creature that may be eaten and the creature that may not be eaten.”

-Shemini 11:44-47

The second half of this week's parsha provides the basis of the laws of kashrus – defining which animals are tahor (pure) and which are not. The Torah describes that as far as land animals are concerned, the way to tell if they are tahor is if they have split hooves and also chew their cud. One sign does not suffice.¹ When it comes to describing the necessary signs for fish, the Torah seems to be more generous requiring only fins and scales – resulting in a much larger variety of delicacies than we are allowed by land animals. Additionally, there is a leniency by fish, compared to land animals, which is that the Torah does not require fish to be slaughtered in order to render them kosher. The Torah continues by listing the non-kosher birds, which is also not as long as the list of non-tahor land animals. The Torah then goes on to forbid any type of insect that flies² and continues to forbid any type of insect which creeps on the ground.

The parsha concludes with the summary quoted above – that we must differentiate between that which is pure for us and that which is not. During this summary, the Torah seems to throw in an unnecessary piece of information: “For I am Hashem Who brings you up from the land of Egypt to be a G-d unto you; you shall be holy, for I am holy”.³ Why is it that Hashem reminds us this at this particular point? Did we need another dose of memory pills to realize that Hashem was bringing us into Eretz Yisroel? Why now is the Torah mentioning us coming out of Mitzrayim?

Rashi⁴ on this passuk is bothered by this and offers two explanations. Rashi's first answer is that the passuk is teaching us that the reason Hashem brought us up from Mitzrayim was solely on the condition that we accept His mitzvos. This explanation is extremely vague and does not seem to address the issue at all. Still, why is it written here? It makes sense to mention it in the parsha of tzitzis, for example, which represents all mitzvos. What purpose, though, does this reminder serve specifically here?

Before we further ponder this first answer of Rashi, let us take a look at the second explanation he offers. Rashi writes that if you notice, the passuk (verse) says that, “I am Hashem Who brings you up from Mitzrayim” as opposed to the regular, “I brought you out of Mitzrayim”. The reason for this is, as Rashi brings from Tana D'vei R' Yishmael, that it would be worth it for Hashem to take us out of Mitzrayim for this mitzva alone – of not becoming impure through creeping things. Although this explanation is more specific it is still hard to understand. What is so special about this particular mitzva that the merit of keeping this mitzva alone is enough of a reason for Hashem to take us into Eretz Yisroel?

The Kli Yakar⁵ is also bothered by this Rashi so he takes a slightly different angle based on the following observation. There seems to be a positive correlation between the harsher terminology the Torah uses to describe the effect that impure animals have on our souls, and the closer the animal is to the ground. Fish, which live in the water, only require to have fins and scales. They do not even need to be slaughtered. When it comes to birds – which are animals of the air, though they have a deep connection to earth as well, also have few restrictions. However, once the Torah enters the area of land animals, it becomes a new playing field. The strict requirements of an animal needing split hooves and must chew its cud, eliminates most animals. Even with this limitation, however, a proper slaughtering is still necessary before a four-legged animal becomes fit to eat. As we get into the territory of creeping and crawling insects, the borders close completely, allowing almost no insect to be eaten for any reason.

The Kli Yakar takes this observation and explains that the area which creatures live in tell a lot about their purity or impurity. The closer an animal lives to the ground, the more impure it is and the worse the effect will be on one's soul if the creature is consumed. This is why even kosher animals require shechita (to be slaughtered), whereas fish, which come from a pure place – water – do not require shechita.⁶ The Kli Yakar then continues to explain that this is the reason why people do not walk on “all-fours”. The reason we walk on two feet is because although half of us is made of dirt and has a pull towards mundane activities and desires, the other half of us is spiritual and turns upward, seeking a closeness with Hashem.

Perhaps with this Kli Yakar we could understand the Rashi better as well. The ultimate purpose of living is to use the mitzvos to live a life of taharah (purity) and become closer to Hashem through them. However, every person must remember that we are constantly in a struggle between the two parts that make up every human being. Part of us knows we are made of dirt and therefore wants to follow impure desires and lifestyles. The other half of us realizes its potential as a tzelem Elokim and seeks the highest levels of taharah. Our job is to acknowledge these two aspects of man and channel our desires away from things which are detrimental to the neshama and instead focus on things which help us grow spiritually in ways we could become closer to Hashem.

This yesod (fundamental idea) is perhaps what the Torah is teaching us by specifically choosing this mitzva to say that for this alone it would be worth bringing us up to Eretz Yisroel. Realizing that man in made of half ruchniyos and half gashmiyos and that we must choose which side we will activate and turn our attention towards with extreme care and concern, is of utmost importance for man to live a proper life. This delicate balance, which each person maintains, could be effected at every level. Even the type of food we allow into our system has the ability to favor the gashmiyos part of us and pull us in that direction.

The world and its effects on man are so intricate and part of the deep secrets of the world we do not understand. However, the one thing we must understand is that Hashem gave us a Torah to guide us on how to live life properly. The Torah tells us that there is a intrinsic difference between tahor and non-tahor animals. Our job is to realize that not only is it true that 'You are what you eat', but even more, that it is our task to realize what is tahor and what is not in order to make sure that we are constantly feeding the ruchniyos half of us, and not the half which is trapped in gashmiyos.

1Such as in the case of a camel, which only chews its cud, or a pig which only has split hooves.

2Except for a few flavors of grasshoppers.

3Vayikra 11:45

4Ibid.

5Vayikra 11:45

6The obvious question on this, which the Kli Yakar discusses, is if so that water indeed represents a place of taharah (as a matter of fact, we become tahor in a mikvah of water), then why is it that in order for foods to be susceptible to tumah (impurity), they must be wet from water? The Kli Yakar discusses this in parshas Chukas (19:21) and gives a fascinating answer which answers this as well as offers insight into the way parah aduma works.

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Parshas Vayikra - The Art of Listening

Thoughts on The Parsha

Parshas Vayikra

The Art of Listening

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַה' מִן הַבְּהֵמָה מִן הַבָּקָר וּמִן הַצֹּאן תַּקְרִיבוּ אֶת קָרְבַּנְכֶם

“He [Hashem] called to Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying: Speak to the B'nei Yisroel and say to them: When a person from among you will bring an offering to Hashem: from the animals – from the cattle and from the flocks you shall bring your offering.”

-Vayikra 1:1-2

Rashi¹ on this passuk (verse) describes that throughout the Torah there are many breaks.² The purpose of these breaks was to give Moshe time to digest and understand what he had been taught by Hashem. Rashi then ends by saying a kal v'chomer: If Moshe, who learned from Hashem, needed breaks for contemplation, then certainly ordinary people such as ourselves who learn from ordinary people must stop to take breaks in order to properly understand what the other is teaching.

The Sifsei Chachomim³ explains that the kal v'chomer that Rashi is saying is quite clear: If Moshe, an incredible student, was learning from Hashem, Who is certainly the best teacher available, still required breaks in order to try to understand what was being taught. How much more so must we take many breaks to digest what is being taught to us from ordinary people.

Let us zoom out a little in order to appreciate what is being said here. There are two main reasons why a person would need to take breaks during a learning session. One is because it is hard for some people to sit for long periods of time. It is therefore wise and healthy to take breaks and recesses to clear one's mind to be able to be more productive. The other reason a person may need a break is because one might simply not understand the material being taught, and therefore require extra time in order for him to think about what is being said. It sounds from Rashi and the Sifsei Chachomim that this latter type of break is what is being referred to. For some reason, Moshe actually needed breaks in order to understand what Hashem was teaching him.

The Nachalas Yaakov⁴ is very bothered by this Rashi and asks the following two questions. First of all, surely there is no better teacher than Hashem. The Creator, with infinite wisdom and Who knows His creations the best, certainly has the ability to convey any message or teaching to man in the clearest of ways. If so, how could it be that Moshe needed breaks in order to understand what was being taught to him? Why did Moshe experience confusion if he had the best teacher possible?

Second of all, what is the kal v'chomer that Rashi is trying to present? It would make sense if Moshe really was able to understand it himself but Hashem gave him the breaks to teach him not to rely on his sharpness, so then there would be a kal v'chomer to us that certainly we should not rely on our own sharpness. However, it seems from Rashi that Moshe really did need the breaks; but if so, why is a kal v'chomer necessary? Even without a kal v'chomer it should be obvious that we need breaks to understand things when learning from ordinary people, simply because we would not understand it otherwise!

The Nachalas Yaakov ends without an answer to his problems with this Rashi. However, perhaps the explanation is as follows. If one stops to think about the process that everyone goes through when communicating, one will realize how complicated simple-communication really is. When two people are having a conversation, what is being said is really going through a five step process. The idea trying to be conveyed begins its journey in one person's head. The person decides what he wants, or more precisely, what he means to say. Then, he must choose the words he will use to express his idea. This is followed by the time and space the words travel between the ones having the conversation. Then, the listener hears what is being said to him, followed by the last step in the process which is digesting the information and interpreting what he heard.

This last step in the process is the hardest of them all. It is easy to hear what someone else has said and it is also generally easy to interpret what one has heard, but that is not enough. In order to fully understand and appreciate a message trying to be conveyed, one must remove the built-in filter which shapes the way one hears things and instead focus on what the communicator was trying to relate.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos⁵ says that Antignos from Socho used to teach, “Do not be like servants who serve their master on the condition of receiving a reward; instead be like servants who serve their master not on the condition of receiving a reward; and let the fear of Heaven be upon you.” Antignos was teaching that although the reward in Olam Habbah (the World to Come) which awaits those who follow the ways of Hashem are endless and greater than anything imaginable, when we serve Hashem it should be out of complete love and fear of Him, and not just because we will receive reward for doing the right thing.

The Rashbam in Bava Basra⁶ brings from the Avos D'rebbe Nosson⁷ that Tzadok and Beisus were talmidim (students) of Antignos. One time they were teaching this mantra of their rebbe, Antignos, but their students confused what they said and took the message of to not be like workers who work in order to get paid, to mean that people who do mitzvos and work for Hashem do not get rewarded.

The students of Tzadok and Beisus did not take the time to listen to the message that their rabbeim were trying to convey. They simply allowed their default hearing skills to kick in. Tzadok and Beisus knew what they themselves wanted to say, they said it, it reached the ears of their talmidim, but the talmidim just did not stop to think what their rabbeim meant, rather they merely depended on what they thought they heard – or perhaps what they wanted to hear.

With this in mind, perhaps we could now answer the questions of the Nachalas Yaakov and better understand the Rashi in this week's parsha. Of course Hashem is the best teacher of the world and could convey any message as clear as crystal. However, even as great of a talmid as Moshe rabbeinu needs time to understand the underlying reasoning and message of what is trying to be conveyed.

We say in Shema, “Im shamoa tishm'u” - you shall surely listen. The Gemara in Berachos⁸ makes a drasha from here: If you listen, then you will listen. But if you will not listen, then you will not understand. Only if one listens to what the Torah and the chochamim (sages) are trying to tell us, will one gain a true understanding of what was said.

Many misunderstandings and arguments stem not from disagreement, but rather from mis-communication. It is not easy to pause our own thoughts and opinions in order to realize the idea that someone else is trying to convey. Unless we consciously decide to listen the right way, we will not even notice that what we are hearing is going through our own heads without taking account what was meant to be said.

This is exactly what Rashi is teaching us. Even Moshe Rabbeinu needed to take breaks to put himself in Hashem's head – so to speak – in order to comprehend what was being taught to him. So certainly we, who are normal people learning from ordinary people, must take breaks in order to be able to put ourselves in others' minds. Only then will the communication process be complete and allow for the possibility of im shamoa tishm'u. This is the real art of listening.

1Vayikra 1:1

2These breaks in the Torah could take one of two forms – either pesucha (literally: open) or s'tumah (literally closed). Pesucha is when the spaces go to the end of the line,

whereas s'tumah is when the space is a break in a line                                 but the text continues further on in the same line.

3Vayikra 1:1

4Ibid.

5Avos 1:3

6Bava Basra 115b

7Avos D'rebbe Nosson 5:2

8Berachos 40a

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Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei - There's a Reason to Give... Even if They Don't Give a Reason

Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei

There's a Reason to Give... Even if They Don't Give a Reason

By: Daniel Listhaus

וְהַנְּשִׂאִם הֵבִיאוּ אֵת אַבְנֵי הַשֹּׁהַם וְאֵת אַבְנֵי הַמִּלֻּאִים לָאֵפוֹד וְלַחשֶׁן

“The princes brought the shoham stones and the filling stones for the Eiphod and for the Choshen.”

-Vayakhel 35:27

Rashi¹ quotes Rebbe Nassan who points out that when it came to the dedication of the mizbeach (alter),² the Torah relates that the Nesi'im (“princes”) were the first to volunteer whatever they could to ensure that the grand opening of the mizbeach would be a tremendous event with plenty of (karbanos) offerings. However, earlier, when the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was being constructed in this week's parsha, the Nesi'im appear to have been very lazy in their offering to help. By the time the Nesi'im came around to ask how they could help in the building of the Mishkan, everything had already been taken care of. The contributions from every individual of B'nei Yisroel added up to a fund with more than enough needed to meet the expected cost of the Mishkan. The Nesi'im begged for to be something thought up of that was still needed in order that too should have a share in directly contributing the items needed for the Mishkan. They were told that the shoham and me'luim stones for the Eiphod (robe) and Choshen (breastplate) had not yet been contributed, and happily they donated exactly that.

As Rashi explains, the Nesi'im at the time of the construction of the Mishkan were not trying to get out of their dues, rather they had a very good reason as to why they did not contribute immediately. Their calculation was as follows. They were very wealthy individuals and figured that they would wait and let the B'nei Yisroel cover as much as they can – and they would pledge the rest. Rashi continues, though, and writes that because of this laziness to donate right away to the Mishkan, a letter was taken out of their name.³

This Rashi is difficult to understand. The Nesi'im's offer does in fact seem to have been made immediately and also appears to be the most generous offer of them all. After all, if the B'nei Yisroel would as a whole only be able to collect one-percent of the total needed, the Nesi'im were guaranteeing that they would make sure the other ninety-nine percent of expenses would be taken care of. What was wrong with their method? Imagine for a moment that you go out of town for one week in order to collect for an organization which is suffering from a one-million dollar deficit. You knock on the first door and you start describing to the man who answers about the organization you are collecting for and how they are in need of one-million dollars. He responds that you should work hard collecting money for the week and then come back to him and he will be happy to supplement the rest of the funds needed to reach the one-million dollar goal. Certainly one cannot argue that this person is not the most generous – even if it turns out that you were able to collect all the money needed without needing to return to him. Still, he was essentially willing to give you whatever you needed. He was willing to guarantee that your goal would be met no matter what. This seems to be precisely what the Nesi'im did. How could such a method be called lazy and considered as if they were not willing to give anything from the onset?

The Sifsei Chachomim⁴ brings from the Nachalas Yaakov that even though the Nesi'im's intentions were good, they made a fundamental mistake. They assumed that even after collecting from the B'nei Yisroel, there would still be something that would need to be taken care of. However, they underestimated B'nei Yisroel's incredible quality of nedivos (generosity). Jews are rachmanim (merciful) and gomlei chasadim (ones who perform acts of kindness. We are a people who have a desire to help others. The tremendous amount of chesed (kindness) and tzedakah (charity) that we are not only expected to give, but want to give is something that is a unique part of us as a nation. B'nei Yisroel share a deep connection with each other in such a way that we really view ourselves each as a part of the tzubbur (community). Each of us is really only a part of a bigger picture and the things that we are blessed – whether wisdom, skills, money, or any characteristic – are not meant for us alone but for the benefit of the entire B'nei Yisroel. Certainly this is something that we experience during this time of year between Purim and Pesach with mitzvos such as machatzis hashekel (half-shekel) – the idea that each of us is only a part of a bigger picture - matanos l'evyonim (gifts to the poor on Purim) and maos chittim (money given to the poor to buy matza for Pesach). The Nesi'im's mistake was that they assumed that after collecting funds from the B'nei Yisroel to construct the Mishkan, that there would still be some opportunities remaining. However, this was not the case. With the money collected, there was even more than was necessary to complete the Mishkan.

This lesson that we must be like the B'nei Yisroel in the midbar (desert) and view our G-d given abilities – whatever they may be – as things that we must bring to the table to help the tzibbbur, is something that is very true and must be internalized. However, the problem with this Sifsei Chachomim and Rashi is that they seem to conveniently forgetting about the outcome of the story. The story continues that the Nesi'im's donations were actually very much needed because not only had the B'nei Yisroel not gathered the shoham stones, but they as a whole could not even afford to do so if they tried. These precious stones were so expensive, only the Nesi'im had the means to get them.⁵ If so, what was wrong with their method of donation? It all worked out perfectly!

When Hashem decided it was time to bring the makkos (plagues) upon Mitzrayim, the Torah⁶ relates that Aharon had to be the one who brought the makkos because, as Rashi⁷ explains, Moshe was unable to hit the water or sand. The water had protected him as a baby floating in a basket on the Nile River, and the sand had cooperated with him when he needed its help to bury the mitzri that he had killed. In order to express proper hakaras hatov (literally – “recognition of the good [deed]”) to the water and sand, he could not be the one to hit them to bring forth the makkos.

The obvious question on this is two-fold. First, neither the water nor the sand did anything extraordinary. The water just did its job of flowing and the sand did nothing more than just be there on the ground. Why did Moshe need to show hakaros hatov to the sand and water when they really did nothing for him particularly? Furthermore, why was Moshe expected to show gratitude to inanimate objects which do not know that anything is being done for them?

Perhaps the lesson to be learned from here is an insight as to what hakaras hatov really is. Hakaras hatov means recognizing the good. Not necessarily what your friend had to do in order to do the good deed for you, because it is very possible that he did not have to do anything extra at all. For example, imagine someone sees you walking in the rain on the way to shul – where he is heading anyway – and picks you up in his car. In such a case no excertion was necessary on his side, but for you an incredible favor was done nonetheless. So rather, the hakaras hatov comes from recognizing what you received and the fact that he was the one who brought the favor to you. How easy or hard it was for the person to do you a favor is not a reason to appreciate it less, only more. The fact that it may have been easy for him to do you the favor should be independent to the value that you place on having received it.

The Torah⁸ tells us that the Mishkan was built through the highest form of giving – nediv leebo (generous of heart). The B'nei Yisroel did just that and put forth the effort to give what they wanted to give, regardless of what was on the sponsorship opportunity list for the Mishkan. As a matter of fact, the Torah tells us that more than was needed was given. Each person gave all he was able, whether it be his time, advice, or money. The Nesi'im, though, with their approach were perhaps lacking slightly in their nedivos lev. They were more concerned on being able to collect all the funds, when they should have just given according to what they felt they were able to give. How could one give less? Just like when expressing hakaras hatov it is a reflection not on what the other party went through, but rather what you are thankful for and the benefit you received, so too a gift given purely from the heart does not change in size even if others are giving as well. The money towards the Mishkan was more of an expression of love of Hashem and building a house where his shechina could dwell. Such a reason to give resources should have been unaffected by the amount others chose to give.

The Nesi'im, who were the leaders of the shevatim (tribes), were called to task that they should have better understood what was expected of them to be nedivei lev. Fortunately, they learned from this experience and when it came time later for the Chanukas Ha'mizbeach (dedication of the alter), they were the first to volunteer everything that they could.

May it be the will of Hashem to quickly bring the third Beis HaMikdash so that we could all have the ability to join as a world-wide tzibbur and each contribute whatever we can with nedivos lev.

1Shemos 35:27

2Bamidbar 7:1-3

3This is why the word for princes here in the Torah is spelled asנשאם instead of the conventional way of spelling it as follows:נשיאם

4Shemos 35:27

5See Kli Yakar 35:27

6Shemos 7:19, and Shemos 8:12

7Ibid. in both places.

8Shemos 35:5
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Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei - Take the First Step

Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei

Take the First Step

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רְאוּ קָרָא ה' בְּשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה: וַיְמַלֵּא אֹתוֹ רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים בְּחָכְמָה בִּתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת וּבְכָל מְלָאכָה

“Moshe said to the Children of Israel, 'See, Hashem has proclaimed by name, Betzalel son of Uri son of Chur, from the tribe of Yehuda. He filled him with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, and with understanding, and with knowledge, and with every craft.”

-Vayakhel 35:30-31

The passukim (verses) describe the involvement of Betzalel and the chachomim (sages) in the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and its keilim (vessels). Betzalel actually received a few personal shout-outs among the passukim because, as Rashi¹ explains, Betzalel was even more devoted to the building of the Mishkan than the others.

Why was Betzalel one of the few individuals who were so heavily involved in the building of the Mishkan? Rashi², based on a Gemara³, relates an incident through which Moshe was certain that Betzalel had achieved a level of Ruach HaKodesh. When Hashem commanded Moshe to tell Betzalel what to do, He said, “Go tell Betzalel to make Me a Mishkan, an aron, and the keilim.” However, Moshe, to test Betzalel's wisdom, reversed the order and told him that the commandment was to, “Make an aron, keilim, and the Mishkan.” At that point, Betzalel said to Moshe that he must have misunderstood what Hashem had told him to say, because as Betzalel said, “The way of the world is that a person first builds a house and then brings its furniture into it. However, you are telling me to do the opposite. Perhaps what Hashem really told you is to build the Mishkan first.” To this, Moshe responded, “And perhaps you were in the shadow of G-d⁴ and that is how you were able to figure this out”.

Clearly, Betzalel was someone who was privy to understand the ways of Hashem. Where did this skill come from? From where did Betzalel learn this ability?

The Torah⁵ tells us that Betzalel was one of the people who earned a level of Ruach HaKodesh and a special degree of understanding and wisdom from Hashem. The Rosh⁶ comments that even before Hashem granted Betzalel this knowledge, he was already someone of great wisdom. The Rosh then comments that we learn from this passuk that Hashem only gives wisdom to those who already have it.

This Rosh is very complex and paradoxical. First of all, why would Hashem only grant His wisdom to those who already have it? Is this a “the rich get richer” scheme? Would it not make more sense for Hashem to bestow His wisdom on those who have yet to achieve it? Second of all, this Rosh presents a paradox. If Hashem only gives His wisdom to those who already have wisdom, how does one get knowledge in the first place?

The Nefesh Hachaim⁷ explains that only those who are deserving and capable of receiving Hashem's wisdom could in fact be a receptacle. The way one prepares oneself to achieve this readiness is by working on one's yiras shamayim (fear of Heaven). Yiras shamayim is the “knowledge” required as a prerequisite in order to attain a level of Ruach HaKodesh and chochma from Hashem. This is what Dovid ha'melech taught in Tehillim⁸ that, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of Hashem”. Similarly, Rebbe Chanina taught, “Everything is in the hands of Hashem except for fear of Hashem.”⁹ It is our job to work on our yiras Hashem. This is the one thing we are here to accomplish, as the Torah itself challenges us, “And now, Yisroel, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you but to fear Him?”¹⁰

Fear of Hashem is necessary to achieve a level of divine understanding. This is the knowledge required in order to be a fitting vessel to contain the wisdom of Hashem. As a matter of fact, the Gemara¹¹ offers a parable for this, “R' Zeira or R' Chanina bar Pappa once said: Come and see how different the characteristics of Hashem are from the characteristics of humans. The characteristic of humans is such that an empty vessel could hold things you pour into it, whereas a full container cannot hold anything more. However, regarding matters involving Hashem, it is exactly the opposite. A full vessel (one with yiras shamayim and Torah knowledge) can hold even more, whereas an empty vessel cannot hold anything.”

The Orchos Tzadikkim¹² in his hakdama (introduction) writes that a person must train his middos in a way of yiras shamayim because yiras shamayim is the kesher (connector, knot) which ties and strengthens the middos together in the right way. Yiras shamayim is as vital a part in sharpening one's traits, as the string of a necklace is necessary to hold its jewels. Just as if the string of a pearl necklace would be cut, the pearls would all scatter – bouncing across the floor, so too without yiras shamayim to channel the middos in a person, the middos would run wild without restraint.¹³

Our job is to make ourselves into vessels which could hold the deep understandings of the Torah and the infinite wisdom of da'as Hashem. In order to accomplish this, one must work on his yiras shamayim and then direct his middos appropriately. However, for every area which one thinks is not important to channel in the way of Hashem, one is essentially making a puncture in himself. The vessel he is supposed to complete has holes! Anything poured in is really only being poured in superficially, and it will all just come pouring out. This person is handicapped; and just as a handicapped man cannot climb a ladder, so too as long as this person keeps his ways, he will never climb the stairs to greatness.¹⁴

Looking back at this concept we see how, simultaneously, man is so small yet so great. On the one hand, the only thing we are really capable of doing is attaining yiras shamayim. But on the other hand, once that great task is accomplished, there is no limit to the heights one could reach with siyata d'shmaya (Heavenly help). Moshe saw in Betzalel someone who had “insider information” in the thoughts of Hashem. This was not a power that Betzalel was born with, rather it came as a gift from Hashem to him because he had already worked on himself to become a yarei shamayim of the highest degree. Betzalel truly reached the level of “reishis chochma yiras Hashem”¹⁵ (The beginning of wisdom is fear of Hashem), which is why he was hand chosen to be showered with even more Ruach HaKodesh.

It is important to note, however, that the power of one who has yiras shamayim does not stop here. The Kli Yakar¹⁶ writes that when the B'nei Yisroel and all the chachmei-lev tried to erect the Mishkan, they found themselves unable to do so. Hashem then said to them that if they merely start to involve themselves in the construction of the Mishkan, that it would stand on its own.¹⁷ Now, if the Kli Yakar would stop here, we would say that he is saying something specific to the Mishkan; that it stood through a miracle, and somehow, if the Jews in the desert merely showed that they cared, by involving themselves, then Hashem would take care of the rest. However, the Kli Yakar continues to comment that what happened at that time during the building of the Mishkan is really an allusion to every action a person does. Sometimes a person has a task before him that he wants to do l'shem shamayim, but he comes to the realization that it is an impossibility. Once these thoughts start entering this person's head, he may get turned off from going forth with the job. However, Hashem tells us that all we have to do is start, He will help us finish. It will look as if we are somehow doing the task on our own, just as it seemed Moshe was carrying the heavy beams of the Mishkan himself. In reality, though, as the beams, Hashem will make the task carry itself.

When Hashem decided to destroy Sodom, the Torah describes that Hashem said, “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am going to do?”¹⁸. The Orchos Tzadikkim¹⁹ writes that when Hashem says such things about a person, it is a sign that that person is a tremendous ba'al anavah (humble person). Humility goes hand in hand with yiras shamayim. The anav is one who knows his place as a human being, and realizes that it is his job to do only what Hashem wants of him. Such a person is privy to Hashem revealing his plans to him. This is obvious. After all, if a man achieves a level of wanting only what Hashem wants and has developed da'as Torah and da'as Hashem, then clearly what Hashem wants and what this person wants should be the same.

Yiras shamayim is the one thing we must achieve. As mentioned, this is an explicit passuk in the Torah, “And now, Yisroel, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you but to fear Him?”²⁰ Once one achieves yiras shamayim, one enters a world with no limits. G-dly wisdom and understanding is poured into his complete kli (vessel), and as long as he takes the first step in doing any task l'shem shamayim, Hashem will ensure that it gets completed.

1Shemos 37:1

2Shemos 38:22

3Berachos 55a

4The name Betzalel in Hebrew comes from two words: b'tzel (in the shadow of) and [k]el (G-d).

5Shemos 35:31

6Ibid.

7Nefesh Hachaim: Sha'ar 4 Perek 5

8Tehillim 111:10

9Berachos 33b

10Devarim 10:12

11Berachos 40a

12Orchos Tzadikkim: Hakdama

13This is not only true for the bad middos within a person, but for the good ones as well. The Orchos

 Tzadikkim maintains that each middah could be used for good or bad. Even the middos we generally

praise people with: kindness, patience, humbleness, etc. could unfortunately be used at inappropriate times 

as well if not trained properly.

14Orchos Tzadikkim: Hakdama

15Tehillim 111:10

16Shemos 40:2

17This is actually a Medrash Tanchuma brought by Rashi a little earlier in the parsha (Shemos 39:33). Rashi writes that the B'nei Yisroel brought Moshe the Mishkan because they were unable to erect it. As Rashi says, “Because Moshe did no work on the Mishkan, Hashem left its erection to him. For no man was able to erect it because of the weight of the beams, as a man does not have the strength to set them upright, but Moshe erected it. Moshe then said before Hashem, 'How can the erection be accomplished by man?' Hashem said to him, “Involve yourself with your hand and it will appear as if you were setting it up but it will rise upright and stand by itself.'”

18Beraishis 18:17

19Orchos Tzadikkim: Sha'ar HaGaivah

20Devarim 10:12

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